Teams inspect homes to see if they’re in compliance. Those who are receive small gifts, such as towels, detergent and thermoses. Households who separate kitchen waste and recyclable items earn 1 yuan (15 cents) a day after 30 days.

But it is more of an ethical than a material concern, Zheng explains. “If people’s morality is enriched, they’re more likely to engage in green behavior,” he says.

Villages also form women’s and Party volunteer teams to promote green behaviors.

A peculiar park in Xiachenzhu village bears testimony to the ethos. Four walls constructed with materials recycled from collapsed farmhouses stand in a field previously occupied by tombs, pigpens and a manure pit.

“We let the weeds grow so villagers appreciate nature,” Zheng says.

But while there are no punishments for violating the guidelines, Xianju has also introduced punishable environmental ordinances.

Villagers organize patrols of up to five people to monitor behaviors along waterways and in forests.

Fines ranging from 500 to 10,000 yuan are issued for illegal fishing, dumping trash, camping and fires along Xiachenzhu’s Weiqiang River, for instance.

When President Xi Jinping was serving in Zhejiang province 11 years ago, he said: “Lucid water and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” He was suggesting that a green environment would help people become wealthy. That statement has been turning into a reality in recent years in Xianju county, in southeast Zhejiang, as the county’s efforts…